HENRICO Co., Va. (WRIC) — A local organization is set to attend the Henrico County School Board meeting on Thursday to address concerns that the school-wide literacy efforts are not meeting the needs of students.

Representing Richmonders Involved to Strengthen our Communities (RISC) says they are demanding a solution after nearly 8,000 children failed their state reading tests in 2016. According to RISC, this is an increase of nearly 500 students failing since the 2014-15 school year.

SARASOTA CO. – Each year, the First Congregational United Church of Christ joins dozens of other churches in choosing a social topic to focus on for the year. It’s part of a group known as Sarasota United for Responsibility and Equity (SURE).

Members of the Charleston Area Justice Ministry dominated the public comment period at the Charleston City Council meeting Tuesday, as they had during the previous three meetings, to repeat that the city hadn’t hired the right firm to identify racial biases in the Charleston Police Department.

Two fatal shootings in Lexington in seven hours on Monday have caused some residents to fear a spike in violent crime, but police say the killings don’t necessarily indicate a brutal summer ahead.

The shootings Monday increased the murder toll to seven in 2017, the same total the city had by the same date in 2016. However, gun violence escalated, and by the end of 2016, Lexington saw 24 murders, the highest total in 15 years.

Careers

Interested in becoming a faith-based community organizer?
Organizations in Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky and Virginia are hiring. Learn more about the positions at an upcoming webinar information session on Wednesday, September 27 at 7 pm eastern.